After weeks of public comments, town hall meetings and discussions among commissioners, the Cook County Board of Commissioners decided at its August 27 meeting to adjust the number of licenses allowed in the proposed ordinance for cannabis businesses.
Progress on the Cannabis Business Regulation
The original draft of the ordinance would have allowed the county to issue 14 licenses evenly distributed across seven geographic areas of the county. District Attorney Molly Hicken explained that this should be done analogously to the way licenses are issued for alcohol sales. She added that including two businesses per area would allow for multiple types of businesses, all of which fall under the retail definition.
However, at the last meeting, commissioners decided that fewer licenses would allow the county to maintain more control over cannabis sales in the county. They reduced the number of licenses allowed in the ordinance to seven, one per geographic region. Because commissioners decided to make substantive changes to the ordinance, an additional public hearing will be held on Sept. 24. County Administrator James Joerke told WTIP that he expects commissioners to vote to pass the ordinance after that hearing.
During the Aug. 27 meeting, commissioners also expressed concern about the possibility of business owners from outside Minnesota purchasing the licenses available for the area. The state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has released initial data on where the applications for provisional license permits came from, and these showed a high number of applicants from out of state. Speaking to WTIP, Joerke said, “We’re hoping that we have local business owners who can establish themselves as retailers in this area, but as a county, we really don’t have a say in who gets these licenses.”
Budget 2025
As commissioners continue to fine-tune the cannabis regulation, they are also working to finalize a 2025 budget proposal. The proposal will also include setting the provisional levy. Joerke said the budget proposal will be released to the public on Sept. 10 and will include the rollout of ClearGov software, which is designed to help voters navigate and understand the budget information. He said the goal is for Cook County residents to easily access information about how their tax dollars are being spent.
Joerke reminded listeners that the preliminary levy is just a starting point and that the initial amount will not increase. When the budget is finalized, the goal will be to get the levy to a sustainable level. He said, “Our goal over the last few years has been to keep levy increases in the four-and-a-half to five percent range to avoid digging ourselves a hole that we have to dig ourselves out of later. And so we’re really trying to avoid that and trying to make sure that any increases are small and regular so that we don’t get into a position of having to do double-digit levy increases.”
Capital Improvement Plan
The county has made progress with the CIP, with roof work being done on several county buildings. In addition to addressing deferred maintenance, the CIP also aims to address space and safety needs identified by the county. After the board decided not to pursue the justice center plan, the focus has shifted to renovating and expanding existing spaces. The county has been working with the BKV Group to develop a master plan, and Joerke said it will be presented to the board on Sept. 24. It will also be available to the public at that time. Joerke said a master plan is based on concepts and is not an architectural plan. Before the board formally adopts a draft, there will be time for public feedback.
ATV use on the CJ Ramstad North Shore State Trail
Another agenda item that generated a lot of public comment was a recommendation from the Cook County Parks and Trails Commissioner to the board to request an amendment to the CJ Ramstad North Shore State Trail. The request would go to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and amend the master plan written for the trail to allow the use of ATVs and OHVs on the trail. Currently, the trail is used for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and snowmobiling in the winter.
During the public hearing period, several commissioners released written comments from constituents opposing allowing ATVs and OHVs on the trail, citing concerns about noise and environmental impacts, as well as whether the motorized activities could deter current trail users from future use.
After an intensive discussion, the board voted 3-2 in favor of the motion. Commissioners Ann Sullivan and Ginny Storlie voted against, saying they would like more information, including testimony from current trail users, before voting.
The decision to file the application, however, does not change anything in the immediate future. Joerke said, “This is not the board saying, yes, we want this trail built. The board wanted this issue to be studied. We want to do an assessment to see what the impact would be if ATVs and off-road vehicles were allowed on these trails.” He added that the MN DNR will conduct an environmental impact assessment before making any changes to the master plan. There would also be more opportunities for the public to provide input before further decisions are made.
Changes to the hiking trail will only happen slowly. Joerke said: “With the involvement of the federal government, things won’t happen super quickly, because the forestry service would have to go through lengthy processes to complete an assessment. And this is really just the beginning of a discussion.”
WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with County Administrator James Joerke about the August 27 meeting. Audio of the interview is below.
